A Wee Bit O' Fun

Saint Patrick's Day (March 17th), is an Irish holiday
honoring Saint Patrick,
the missionary credited with converting the Irish to Christianity (in the A.D.
400's).

Saint Patrick was not actually Irish. Historical sources report that he
was born around 373 A.D. in either Scotland (near the town of Dumbarton) or
in Roman Britain (the Romans left Britain in 410 A.D.).
His real name is believed to be Maewyn Succat (he took on Patrick, or
Patricus, after he became a priest). He was kidnapped at the
age of 16 by pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland (I am not making this
up). During his 6-year captivity (he worked as a shepherd), he began to have
religious visions, and found strength in his faith. He finally escaped
(after voices in one of his visions told him where he could find a
getaway ship) and went to France, where he became a priest (and later a bishop).

When he was about 60 years old, St. Patrick travelled to Ireland to spread
the Christian word. It's said that Patrick had an unusually winning
personality, and that helped him win converts. He used the shamrock, which
resembles a three-leafed clover, as a metaphor to explain the concept of
the Trinity (father, son, holy spirit).

Legend has it that Saint Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland --
that they all went into the sea and drowned. Poor snakes. I don't know why
he would want to do this, except that the snake was a revered pagan
symbol, and perhaps this was a figurative tale alluding to the fact that he
drove paganism out of Ireland.

In America, Saint Patrick's Day is a basically a time to wear green and
party. The first American celebration of Saint Patrick's Day was
in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1737.
As the saying goes, on this day "everybody is Irish!" Over 100 U.S.
cities now hold Saint Patrick's Day parades, the largest held in New York
City.

Green is associated with Saint Patrick's Day because it is the color of
spring, Ireland, and the shamrock. Leprechauns are also associated
with this holiday, although I'm not sure why. Leprechauns of legend are
actually mean little creatures, with the exception of the Lucky Charms
guy. They were probably added later on because capitalists needed
something cute to put on greeting cards.

What's good luck on Saint Patrick's Day?:

Finding a four-leaf clover (that's double the good luck it usually
is).

Wearing green. (School children have
started a little tradition of
their own -- they pinch classmates who don't wear green on this holiday).

Kissing the blarney stone.

An Irish blessing to take with you today:

May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow
And may trouble avoid you wherever you go.

Glossary O' Terms

Leprechaun
Irish fairy. Looks like a small, old man (about 2 feet
tall), often dressed like a shoemaker,with a cocked hat and a leather
apron. According to legend, leprechauns are aloof and unfriendly, live
alone, and pass the time making shoes...they also possess a hidden pot of
gold. Treasure hunters can often track down a leprechaun by the sound of
his shoemaker's hammer. If caught, he can be forced (with the threat of
bodily violence) to reveal the whereabouts of his treasure, but the
captor must keep their eyes on him every second. If the captor's eyes
leave the leprechaun (and he often tricks them into looking away), he
vanishes and all hopes of finding the treasure are lost.

Blarney stone
The Blarney Stone is a stone set in the wall of the Blarney Castle tower in
the Irish village of Blarney. Kissing the stone is supposed to
bring the kisser the gift of persuasive eloquence (blarney).
The castle was built in 1446 by Cormac Laidhiv McCarthy (Lord of
Muskerry) -- its walls are 18 feet thick (necessary to thwart
attacks by Cromwellians and William III's troops). Thousands of tourists
a year still visit the castle.

The origins of the Blarney Stone's magical properties aren't clear, but
one legend says that an old woman cast a spell on the stone to reward a
king who had saved her from drowning. Kissing the stone while under the
spell gave the king the ability to speak sweetly and convincingly.

It's tough to reach the stone -- it's between the main castle wall and
the parapet. Kissers have to lie on their back and bend backward (and
downward), holding iron bars for support. Can you imagine kissing
something that has had people's lips all over it for 500 years? Yuck!